Our first instalment is brought to you by our placement student, Jasmine Cardiff, as she spotlights Cardiff Market as her favourite creative space in the city.
Tell us about yourself and your creative background
My name is Jasmine Cardiff (yes, that really is my surname), and I’m a Postgraduate student at Cardiff University, studying MA Cultural and Creative Industries. I grew up in the little seaside town of Weymouth, Dorset, so I’ve always loved being outside and spending time at the beach. This fostered my creative nature from a very young age, and since then I’ve developed passions in drawing, photography and writing.
Exploring and developing my creativity is something that provides me with an outlet - an escape, from everyday life. I love picking up my sketchpad at the end of a long day and drawing or writing away my stresses. With this in mind, I’m looking to pursue a creative career in in marketing/advertising, to (hopefully) combine all my creative interests into one.
What space are you spotlighting and why?
Despite having only discovered it this year, I’ve chosen to spotlight Cardiff Market, ‘Marchnad Caerdydd’, as my favourite creative space in Cardiff, for several reasons. The stunning indoor Victorian market is home to many traders of unique crafts, with two shopping levels to explore.
From fresh produce and cooked food to handmade and artisanal crafts, Cardiff Market offers a diverse range of goods that showcase and nurture the creativity of the local and wider community. Authentic Welsh culture thrives within its four walls, so it’s impossible to visit and not come away enthused and inspired.
What do you love most about this space?
It’s so difficult to choose just one thing, but I particularly love how the authenticity of Cardiff Market has been so well preserved, from the architecture to the stall owners, to the crafts themselves. It has so much character and is a valuable cultural space, which I think is so important for inspiring and nurturing creativity in anyone who visits.
What would you like to see in this space in the future?
Whilst there are so many things to be loved about Cardiff Market, there are definitely things I think could make it even better. It currently closes at 17:00, so perhaps its opening hours could be extended to allow more people to discover and explore the wonderful space (and a wine bar wouldn’t go amiss too!).
There are also several units, particularly upstairs, that’re currently disused, and I think they could be rented out or offered to local vendors. As there is currently a lack of artwork in the market, perhaps these spaces could be filled with local artists, allowing them to work and sell their creations. This could greatly add to the diversity of crafts and enhance the aura of Welsh culture that fills the market.
Find out more about Cardiff Market.
You can also view our full list of Cardiff's creative spaces.
